


soulmates

by slytherinaleister (irlbigfoot)



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel), PlayChoices
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dorks in Love, F/M, Height Differences, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 04:17:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10959474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlbigfoot/pseuds/slytherinaleister
Summary: aleister rourke didn't believe in soulmates, thank you very much. he found the very concept to be absolutely preposterous, not to mention unholy unrealistic.(... or at least he did, until he met grace hall.)





	soulmates

Aleister Rourke didn’t believe in soulmates, thank you very much. He found the very concept to be absolutely preposterous, not to mention unholy unrealistic. Relationships were messy and complicated and distracting and didn’t turn out as perfect as the media would like you to think, and he refused to let "the universe" coerce him into one.

Yes, no matter what society or his acquaintances told him, he knew he was right- _not_ just bitter because he was twenty-one years old and still didn’t have a marking.

(Ha! He _scoffed_ at the very notion.)

He scoffed silently, for, you see, Aleister did, in fact, have a marking.

It appeared at the usual age, thirteen- he woke up one morning and glanced in the mirror to find three words scrawled across his chest: _I'm so sorry!_

Most boys his age would’ve reacted with pride; perhaps ran into their parents room to pounce on their bed, hollering the good news, then later swaggered into the schoolyard to quickly show off to all his friends.

Aleister?

He was _disgusted_.

The boy stood there for approximately a full minute, attempting to scrub the blemish off with a wet washcloth. When his efforts proved futile, he let out a childish yell before punching the wall, his fist bouncing off uselessly. Ignoring the stinging in his hand, Aleister began to formulate a plan- he first ran into his mother’s room, and began rooting through her makeup bag. Soon, Aleister pulled out a tube of thick, creamy beige liquid. He quickly ran into the bathroom and slathered it all over his chest. The stuff was three shades too dark, and stood out almost as much as the marking did, but Aleister didn’t care.

He was already self-conscious enough of his body, but from that point onward Aleister refused to take his shirt off around anyone, even the doctor. He began to change in washrooms instead of change-rooms, and would immediately snap at anybody who questioned him on if he had a marking yet.

In his defense, he never said specifically that he didn’t have a marking; he just _let_ others assume so. Because it was easier than telling the truth, easier than admitting that he was ashamed. That he was scared.

Because Aleister was a very smart boy. And, because he was as smart as he was, he knew that he wasn’t meant for a soulmate. He'd half-halfheartedly try to convince himself that it was because they would be a distraction, but truly… Aleister just didn’t think he deserved one.

Everyone he’d ever loved had abandoned him, whether emotionally or physically- his mother, his father, and many others… evidently, there was something within him that seemed to repulse people. Aleister was doing something wrong- what, he didn’t know. But he’d given up on trying to change things long ago.

Yes, life had made it very clear to Aleister that he was destined to be alone- and he liked to think he made his peace with that. All the more time to focus on his studies, focus on making it to the top and ~~proving his father wrong~~.

And so, on a Friday night, Aleister found himself hunched over a pile of papers at a table in the middle of the college library.

* * *

Grace Hall was… a bit of a late-bloomer.

From a young age, the girl, like many others, had obsessed over the concept of soulmates- the idea of there being a perfect other half for everybody. Every night when she’d come home to an empty house with not even a note on the fridge, Grace would close her eyes and think of her soulmate- whoever they were out there. The one person who’d always understand her, never leave her, who’d accept her for who she is.

This came a bit hard at times, for you see, Grace didn’t get her marking until she was seventeen.

 _Seventeen_! Only through stories did one hear of people who got their markings at seventeen. Thirteen was the average age, with some coming as early as eleven, and  fifteen being the absolute latest that was acceptable.

Grace didn’t start to worry until she was thirteen. She was in the school change-room, getting ready for gym, and the other girls were chattering about something or other. Suddenly, the topic turned to markings as one girl complimented the other on hers.

“Ooh, nice mark! Sounds romantic.”

“Heh, thanks,” The girl laughed, cheeks flushed. “Got it a couple months ago. What about you?”

“A year ago. It’s in French, I had to look it up.” Her smirk was audible.

Some other girls chimed in, and the conversation went on for a minute, until-

“ _What about yours, Grace?_ ”

Grace froze, in the midst of adjusting her shirt. She turned around to see all the girls staring at her expectantly.

“Uh…” The girl's lip quivered. “Me?”

“Yeah, you!” The girl with the French marking rolled her eyes. “What does yours say?”

“Uh… I…” A bead of sweat dripped down Grace's forehead. She felt as if her heart was about to rip through her chest. “I… I don’t… I mean, not….-”

Suddenly, the gym teacher hollered from outside the change-room door, “Let’s go, ladies!”

The group of girls promptly forgot about Grace, and the class filed out- well, almost all of the class. Grace found herself sticking behind, still frozen in place.

_What if I really do end up alone?_

As Grace grew older, she grew better at deflecting the topic- it also helped that she didn’t have that many friends. Or any at all, actually. Sure, it was frustrating- you couldn’t go a day without seeing an advertisement for some app that helps you locate your soulmate quicker. But Grace had hope- she had to.

Finally, when she was seventeen, it came. She’d come home after a particularly bad day- anxiety attack after anxiety attack- to, as per usual, an empty house. Grace sighed, and as she walked through the kitchen she noted a slip of paper on the counter. She didn’t bother to read it as she made her way into her room. Sighing, she flopped onto her bed- then, she froze.

She felt an odd… tingling on her chest.

Sitting up, she yanked the neckline of her sweater down to see four words peeking up just above her bra; _Watch where you're going!_

…. Well. Perhaps it wasn’t the pinnacle of romance, but it was something.

* * *

Grace sighed, checking her phone. 10:49. The library would be closing in about ten minutes, and she might as well get a head start on putting the books away. She stood up and gathered the group of books into a pile, and, with a surprising lack of difficulty for a girl of her stature, heaved them into her hands. The pile shielded her face, reaching the top of her head. Slowly, Grace made her way out of the secluded area, located in the corner of the library, and made her way towards the first aisle.

* * *

Aleister rubbed his forehead, grumbling unintelligibly under his breath. “ _Finally.._ ” He muttered, slamming his book shut. He’d just finished writing a twelve-page Chemistry paper- the thing had just been assigned today and wasn’t actually due for a month, but he always liked to get a head start on things. It also was _sliiightly_ more than twelve pages, but oh well.

He pushed back from the table, stretching out his long legs. He stood, wincing as his knees cracked. Gathering his paper, Aleister resolved to type it up at his dorm as he made his way down the closest aisle and towards the front desk.

He glanced down for a second, then-

 _Agh!_ He found himself slamming into a small, human-shaped object. Books rained down on him, sharp edges scraping his skin through his clothes and hard covers slapping his face.

Finally, the attack ended.

“ _I’m_ so _sorry!_ ” He heard a female voice, almost tearful, begin to apologize profusely, just as he snapped, “ _Watch where you’re going!_ ”

As the two spoke they looked up, finally making eye contact. Both fell silent.

Aleister stared at the girl before him. Aside from slightly-widened eyes, his expression gave away nothing that he was feeling underneath. Which was quite fortunate, because he was absolutely gobsmacked at the angel standing before him.

Her chestnut curls were almost cloud-like, and framed her round face like a halo. Her smooth skin was a rich shade of brown, and made the endearing orange sweater she was bundled up in stand out all the more. Her eyes were big, dark, and doe-like, and framed by a pair of black spectacles.

Grace couldn't tear her eyes away from the man in front of her. He was tall and slender, with high cheekbones, a pointed nose, and sharp, angular features. His skin was abnormally pale, almost as much as his hair, which was platinum blonde and slicked back. And his eyes- his eyes were a bright shade of cerulean blue that stood out among his fair features, shining like the ocean, pulling her into their vibrant, glimmering depths.

The two began to speak again at once.

“Uh, I-”

“I didn’t-”

“I really-”

“Er-”

They played back the conversation in their heads, and realization hit them both. Their faces flushed simultaneously.

Cue the awkward silence.

Softly, Grace spoke. "W-what did you say?"

 _Oh no._ Hastily, Aleister feigned ignorance. “Er, I- I didn’t mean it, I’m very sorry. It was my fault, truly, I ran into you, I-"

“No, no,” Grace waved him off, before frowning. “I mean, the apology is still appreciated- it was both our faults to be honest, but you didn’t have to snap at me like that- but, I meant…” She chewed her lip. “What you said…” She looked at him expectantly.

“Was completely uncalled for,” Aleister finished, a bit too quickly. “And I apologize, once again, but I actually _really_ must be going-” He attempted to leave, but something in the girl’s eyes- some strange, soft sort of sadness- made his body freeze like a statue.

“You… aren’t you…" The girl's shoulders slumped. "Nevermind, heh," She mumbled, eyes becoming glassy as she dipped her head down. "I'll be going, I guess." Grace was about to turn away, before Aleister sucked in his breath and made a split-second decision.

"Wait!"

Aleister clenched his fists as the words left his mouth, and the girl turned back to look at him. _What in the hell are you doing?_   He asked himself.

"Wait," He repeated, slower. "Please. Look, I..." He sighed. "I really don't believe in this sort of thing-"

Grace's face fell.

"But," Aleister continued. "Even if I did not have your marking, I would find you just as-" _Enchanting, angelic, charming-_ "Intriguing." _I suppose that works too._ "So..." He took in another deep breath. "Perhaps, if you would allow me the honor, may I escort you to the coffee shop across the street? For a drink? Together? Perhaps?" His voice grew higher with every word, and he chewed the inside of his cheek as he awaited a response.

Grace looked at him for a long time, and Aleister started to worry, before she smiled, revealing her dimples. "I'd love to. Grace Hall, by the way." She extended a hand.

Aleister shook it, cold meeting warm. "Aleister Rourke."

The two stared at each other for a while, before Grace coughed. "Um, we should actually probably put these away." She gestured to the books scattered around them.

"Ah, yes!" They bent down to begin scooping them up, and as they reached for the same one ended up slamming their heads together.

" _Agh_!" Aleister grunted as he leaned back. Grace held a hand to her forehead, wincing. They made eye contact, and suddenly Grace started laughing. A smile tugged at Aleister's mouth- a rare sight in itself- and he found himself joining in.

"We are absolutely ridiculous," remarked Grace, eyes shining as she hid her grin with her hand.

"Yes, we are." Aleister admitted, cheeks reddening.

After putting the books away, grabbing their coats and getting ushered out the door by the librarian, Aleister and Grace began making their way down the street, snowflakes drifting down from the sky and collecting in their hair. Illuminated only by the amber streetlamps and the moon above, Aleister mentioned one of the books he'd seen in her collection, and as the two began to babble on about scientific mumbo-jumbo they continued to steal glances at each other in secret- and if their bodies brushed against each other a couple times as they walked, well, who could blame them? What with the chilly weather and all.

Aleister Rourke didn't believe in soulmates, thank you very much. He found the very concept to be absolutely preposterous, not to mention unholy unrealistic.

(... or at least he did, until he met Grace Hall.)


End file.
